I have little first hand experience with Twin Cams. I have read bout the cam chain tensioners and have heard about overheating problems with the newer big inch ones from a friend who is a Harley tech. Again, I don't have much real experience with the Twin Cam.

I love the Evo, be it Big Twin or Sportster. Simple motor, low maintenance, and they will easily run 100,000 miles without major work. Generally, they don't leak, parts are available and priced right, it has enough power, runs cooler, and gets decent fuel mileage. I think they are very reliable.

I'm a bit 'old school', so I prefer the minimal electronics and carb. They are very easy to work on. Harley has lost their mind, charging $150 for a little computer chip that controls the turn signals or $500 for a replacement electronic speedometer. No thanks.

I had a 1985 FXRS and it was a great bike. I sometimes wish I still had it.

There are some good 'bolt ons' for Evos too. On my 1985 FXR, I added an S&S Super E carb, a mild cam, and a Crane ignition and had it Dyno tuned at 90 hp. Yeah, that's not huge power, but it was enough to be peppy and could easily haul 2 people and gear up a steep mountain road.

Plus, a decent condition low mileage Evo Big Twin can be easily had for $4000-5000 now. That's not much cash for a lot of bike. Even if the Evo is older, and down on horsepower compared to the Twin Cam, the VALUE is still there and they are fun bikes to cruise around on.

Very well put. There are some major advantages to simplicity, and virtually no disadvantages. All the new technology on the Twin Cam seems to add nothing but problems. Another major advantage to the EVO is the fact that it can be easily rebuilt. I was amazed at how simple it was. It did take a while, as everything had to be properly fitted, rather than just assembled. But an EVO can be basically immortal. Just keep rebuilding it. As for power, as long as it would carry me down the road at highway speed, that's all I need.

And I believe I have said many times that I have never owned a Harley. That doesn't mean I don't want one, or know anything about them.

Very well put. There are some major advantages to simplicity, and virtually no disadvantages. All the new technology on the Twin Cam seems to add nothing but problems. Another major advantage to the EVO is the fact that it can be easily rebuilt. I was amazed at how simple it was. It did take a while, as everything had to be properly fitted, rather than just assembled. But an EVO can be basically immortal. Just keep rebuilding it. As for power, as long as it would carry me down the road at highway speed, that's all I need.

And I believe I have said many times that I have never owned a Harley. That doesn't mean I don't want one, or know anything about them.

Just out of curiousity - why wasn't the Sportster Evo "upgraded" much like the Big Twin Evo?

Don't fix it if it ain't broken. There is a lot of speculation as to why Harley ditched the evo in the big twins for the twin cams, but I think the most plausible is they simply reached the limit in what they could do with the evo. The twin cams can put out so much more HP without having reliability issues. The sportster engines are pretty much perfect though.

Just out of curiousity - why wasn't the Sportster Evo "upgraded" much like the Big Twin Evo?

The Big Twin was turned into a twin cam...the Sportster has always been a four cam engine.
It's at the price point end of their line, and makes sufficient power for the bikes it's used in....ie, not pulling around a two-up dresser or bagger.

And I believe I have said many times that I have never owned a Harley. That doesn't mean I don't want one, or know anything about them.

No it doesn't. The drek you spew answers that question. Buy one,ride it and let us know what it's like to live with one. Make it a Panhead,that ought to be hilarious. Making one make some noise is one thing,riding it daily for years is another.

__________________you don't see luggage racks on a hearse..........act accordingly

The Big Twin was turned into a twin cam...the Sportster has always been a four cam engine.
It's at the price point end of their line, and makes sufficient power for the bikes it's used in....ie, not pulling around a two-up dresser or bagger.

Very well put. There are some major advantages to simplicity, and virtually no disadvantages. All the new technology on the Twin Cam seems to add nothing but problems. Another major advantage to the EVO is the fact that it can be easily rebuilt. I was amazed at how simple it was. It did take a while, as everything had to be properly fitted, rather than just assembled. But an EVO can be basically immortal. Just keep rebuilding it. As for power, as long as it would carry me down the road at highway speed, that's all I need.

And I believe I have said many times that I have never owned a Harley. That doesn't mean I don't want one, or know anything about them.

You've said this before. You seem to think an EVO is somehow more rebuildable than a twin cam, which you view as disposable. You couldn't be more wrong. The only difference in terms of rebuilding is the flywheel/rod set, which HD specs as rebuildable in the EVO and non-serviceable in the twin cam. So what. It can be rebuilt in the aftermarket if desired, or simply buy another one after it's done its 200,000 mile job. The stock set is $600.00. The only damage I ever saw was caused by other issues such as metal contamination from other failures. I never saw a big end bearing or a crank pin in a twin cam simply "wear out".

You now have throngs of folks pointing out your ignorance on a multitude of subjects around here. You'd be much better off if you stopped exerting so much effort trying to prove yourself so knowledgeable, and instead accept the fact that you could learn a lot from some very knowledgeable and talented people here if you'd just type a lot less and read a lot more.

__________________"Bueller, you're an island of sense in a sea of bullshit" - swimmer

"bueller, you ARE an island of reason in a sea of bullshit" - quasigentrified

Just out of curiousity - why wasn't the Sportster Evo "upgraded" much like the Big Twin Evo?

For sportsters 1986-1991 are the 4 speed Evo sportsters. They basically shared the 1984 Ironhead bottom end, tranny, and clutch / primary setup but had an Evo top end. They came in 883, 1100 (1986-87 only), and 1200 flavors. All were chain drive.

1991-2003 are the 5 speed Evo Sportsters. 1991 was the transition year for belt drive. Lots of variations like the "R", "S", low, hugger, custom, etc became available but they all had the same 883 or 1200 motor. The only real exception was the later "S" models which had different heads and ignitions. Most of the were carb bikes, with a crappy EFI system available as an option starting in the late 1990's

2004-now are rubbermounts. They could be had in carb (2004-2006 only) or EFI. The motor became rubbermounted for less vibration, and the frame as changed to accommodate. This added bout 100 lbs to the bike, but the 1200cc got the "XB" heads as standard equipment, so power went up too. The only real disadvantage for the rubbermounts is that the 'trap door' tranny was deleted... so you have to split the cases to access the tranny. This was the 'update' for the sportster line, shortly after the Twin Cam was released for the Big Twins.

Here's a Sportster 'secret' : The final drive ratio of 4th gear in a 4 speed is the same as 5th gear in a 5 speed... so they both cruise on the highway about the same. No one seems to want a 4 seed any more, but I love them. They are SO CHEAP now, you can get a nice one for $2000!!

I agree with what was posted earlier about he Sportster. "If it aint broke, don't fix it". I love the 4 cam Evo Sportster motors, and will be sad when HD does away with them. They are reliable, and easy to work on. They last forever, and can be pretty quick with a few simple mods. Sportsters rule!

For sportsters 1986-1991 are the 4 speed Evo sportsters. They basically shared the 1984 Ironhead bottom end, tranny, and clutch / primary setup but had an Evo top end. They came in 883, 1100 (1986-87 only), and 1200 flavors. All were chain drive.

1991-2003 are the 5 speed Evo Sportsters. 1991 was the transition year for belt drive. Lots of variations like the "R", "S", low, hugger, custom, etc became available but they all had the same 883 or 1200 motor. The only real exception was the later "S" models which had different heads and ignitions. Most of the were carb bikes, with a crappy EFI system available as an option starting in the late 1990's

2004-now are rubbermounts. They could be had in carb (2004-2006 only) or EFI. The motor became rubbermounted for less vibration, and the frame as changed to accommodate. This added bout 100 lbs to the bike, but the 1200cc got the "XB" heads as standard equipment, so power went up too. The only real disadvantage for the rubbermounts is that the 'trap door' tranny was deleted... so you have to split the cases to access the tranny. This was the 'update' for the sportster line, shortly after the Twin Cam was released for the Big Twins.

Here's a Sportster 'secret' : The final drive ratio of 4th gear in a 4 speed is the same as 5th gear in a 5 speed... so they both cruise on the highway about the same. No one seems to want a 4 seed any more, but I love them. They are SO CHEAP now, you can get a nice one for $2000!!

I agree with what was posted earlier about he Sportster. "If it aint broke, don't fix it". I love the 4 cam Evo Sportster motors, and will be sad when HD does away with them. They are reliable, and easy to work on. They last forever, and can be pretty quick with a few simple mods. Sportsters rule!

What 1990's Sportster was fuel injected? None that I know of...

__________________"Bueller, you're an island of sense in a sea of bullshit" - swimmer

"bueller, you ARE an island of reason in a sea of bullshit" - quasigentrified

It was an option starting sometime in the late 1990s, I do not know the exact year. My Dad used to have a 95th anniversary Sportster, which was a 1998, and it was EFI. The EFI system really sucked though and he sold the bike pretty soon after buying it. Sorry, I don't have any more info on it...

EDIT: It may have been a dealer installed 'kit', since he bought the bike used. I thought it was factory though.